Month: January 2025

Coming along for the ride

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The first time we emigrated to New Zealand, we were a family with a nine-month-old and two-year-old. Those babies were an extension of us and apart from the 36-hour flight, which was either sleeping or non-stop Peppa Pig, nothing really changed for them because their whole world was us. It was easy; we move and they come with us. Even when we moved them at five and seven and then again at seven and eight (my maths is fine here, they are 18 months apart so depending on what month it is, they are one or two years apart), it was relatively simple. Yes they had to say goodbye to friends, family and familiar things, but at those ages, as long as you have Mum and Dad behind you, you’re brave enough for anything. The biggest challenge I remember were when we came back to the UK in 2017 was being introduced to the school zoning system and having to literally argue our case to the local authority so both children could go to the …

When it’s not your job

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Having a job is a big part of emigrating. In fact, it’s necessary if you want to stay. Our motivation to move to New Zealand in the first place was to bring our children up somewhere beautiful and wholesome and we wanted an adventure. Thankfully, Gareth worked for a global engineering company that could facilitate that. Due to a natural disaster, the job became much more than a way to get a visa. It was an opportunity to pursue his career, using his skills (and gaining lots more) whilst working within a team of highly motivated and inspiring colleagues to literally rebuild a city after devastating earthquakes had flattened it. A job that makes a difference, how satisfying is that. Five years later, we moved back to the UK because Gareth’s dad was sick and at the same time he found that out, his company offered him an opportunity to work on a big, ambitious project. The third emigration was because we didn’t feel like we were done with New Zealand and wanted to go …

New start

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This is not what you think it’s going to be. There will be no new year resolutions. No declarations or goals to be shared. No new me. Last year had all the new things; all the change. We left our life in New Zealand (again) to start life back up in the UK (again). We moved to a place we have never lived before. New job for my husband, new school for my children. New house. New sport teams. New friends. It might well have been the most stressful year of my life. January 2024, we began to move. A year on, we are moved. Changes everywhere. Postcode has letters in. Our bodies, belongings and dog are under a different roof. All our bills are in pounds. It’s winter not summer. We shop at Sainsbury’s not New World. Chocolate is not Whittaker’s. We are 13 hours behind not ahead. All these changes required my full attention. My family needed my full support. Day-to-day life took all day, every day. Six months into our new start, …